Thursday, February 18, 2010

William Shake.sp...suddenly in to it

And since you know you cannot see yourself,
so well as by reflection, I, your glass,
will modestly discover to yourself,
that of yourself which you yet know not of.



Helena:
"Love looks not with the eyes but with the mind."

In this soliloquy, Helena ponders the transforming power of love, noting that Cupid is blind. The lovesick Helena has been abandoned by her beloved Demetrius, because he loves the more attractive Hermia. Helena, while tall and fair, is not as lovely as Hermia. Helena finds it unfair that Demetrius dotes on Hermia's beauty, and she wishes appearances were contagious the way a sickness is so that she might look just like Hermia and win back Demetrius. The connection of love to eyesight and vision are matters of vital importance in this play about love and the confusion it sometimes brings.


King:
"My words fly up, my thoughts remain below: Words without thoughts never to heaven go."

In this pivotal scene the King has directed Rosencrantz and Guildenstern to accompany Hamlet to England, thus effectively banishing this troublesome young man. Polonius enters and tells the King that he will conceal himself and spy on the conversation between Hamlet and his mother; and the King then kneels and prays not so much for forgiveness for his "rank" offence in killing his brother, but rather that he will get away with it. Hamlet enters, unseen by the King, and considers killing the King at prayer. He does not, however, fearing that the King will then go to heaven. The King rises from prayer, never having seen Hamlet, and utters the words above, revealing his own knowledge that his prayer is invalid, and consists of words but no true feelings of remorse.

0 Comments:

Post a Comment